CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Peter Tauanuu says collecting trash is the place to be if you like getting up real early in the morning, can handle physical work and don't mind the occasional less-than-appealing smells. Above, he posed Thursday next to his truck outside a restaurant in Kunia where he was collecting its trash.

At your disposal

Peter Tauanuu drives a big truck in the service of cleanliness

Peter Tauanuu

Peter Tauanuu works hard each day, and when he gets home he just wants to relax with his family. Driving a huge truck and making hundreds of stops a day picking up garbage -- and then cleaning out the trash bins as well -- can really take it out of you, he says, even if you have a sports background and are in good physical shape. Tauanuu played basketball for Hawaii Loa College, and still recalls fondly games that he played back in 1986 against Syracuse and Georgetown. The Moanalua High School graduate also obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology and social science from the college, which later merged into Hawaii Pacific University. Tauanuu, 38, is married to the former Janet Wilson, with whom he has "three wonderful kids" ("boy, girl, boy") ages 9, 7 and 2. They live in Makakilo.

Question: Did you just get off work?

Answer: Yep.

Q: Anything exceptionally exciting happen today?

A: (Laughter) No. It's the same old rubbish day.

Q: What time do you start your work day?

A: Between 3:30 and 4 o'clock in the morning.

Q: Is that a difficult schedule for you?

A: No. We're used to getting up early in the morning. I kind of like it. No more traffic, yeah?

Q: Is the early starting time so you can avoid traffic in your big truck?

A: Definitely. There's no traffic out there that early. Plus, we get some accounts that need to have their trash picked up early, because otherwise their parking lot is full.

Q: What part of town did you cover today?

A: Waipahu. The whole Waipahu.

Q: What other areas of town do you typically cover during the week?

A: On Monday and Thursday I cover Waipahu, and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday I cover Waikele, Waipio and Mililani.

Q: Now, basically, what is it that you are doing each day when you go out on the road?

A: We have a route sheet that we're given every morning, and we just follow the route. Then when the truck is full, we take it out to the landfill or HPower, and then we come back and finish it off (the route).

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Peter Tauanuu has been driving a trash truck for 11 years. Above, he lifts a trash bin at a popular restaurant in Kunia over his cab to empty it into the truck.

Q: Are you accompanied by a smaller truck that positions the dump bins for you?

A: Yeah, we call them finger trucks. We call them that because they look like they have those little fingers in the back. We have those because there are some places where the big trucks can not go underneath, like at some places in Waikiki, and then there are some other places where they don't want the big truck going in there because they're afraid of damage. So the finger trucks go in there and bring the bins out.

Q: Do they follow you the whole time?

A: What he (the finger-truck driver) does is, he goes to certain places and he brings out the can, and then later the big truck comes in and dumps the can, and then later he goes back, or sometimes he follows the truck and puts it back right there.

Of course, we spray the can, too. We sanitize the can -- try to eliminate the smell.

Q: Who does that?

A: The driver who's dumping the can.

Q: Does that take much time?

A: No. As soon as you bring the can down from dumping, you spray it.

Q: What, you have a hose on board?

A: Yeah, there's a hose attached to a tank on the truck, and it comes out by the mirror on the driver's side. So after you dump it, you spray the can, sanitize the can.

Q: Do you work in your cab alone?

A: Yeah. We have some drivers who have helpers, because we have so many townhomes. So the two drivers help each other out; it's faster, too.

Q: What is it about townhomes that requires two people?

A: Because of multi cans. Sometimes you have 20 cans, 30 cans, so sometimes the helper goes out and pulls out the can, and puts back the can, while the driver is dumping. And he'll help spray it. So it's a two-man job.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
After sanitizing the trash bin with a stream of water, Tauanuu pushes it back into its enclosure.

Q: When you get back to the base yard, do you have to clean your truck or do any other kind of maintenance?

A: Yes, you have to clean. First you have to put in your fuel, of course. Then you have to clean behind your blade, because we're dumping the trash into the truck, and then there's a blade that pushes it into the back of the truck.

Q: So you have to get in there and clean that?

A: Yeah, we have to clean that out. Every day. We get in there with a shovel and a hose.

Q: Do you have to wash the outside of the truck?

A: They want you keep it nice. Just because it's a trash truck, doesn't mean it has to look like a trash truck.

Q: Do you have chrome rims on your truck?

A: No. I wish. (Laughter)

Q: Do you have any advice for anyone who might want to get the same kind of job you have?

A: The only advice is if you can handle the early get up, and the physical work, and the smell. This is the place.

Q: It smells?

A: There are some places. It's not going to smell the whole day. But there are times. Plus, there's rubbish out there every single day.